Rea

The Kingdom of Rea is a large, and significant nation located in Centra, sharing a border with Velius in the north, and Verinia to the south, the Miran Federation member of Luia to the west, as well as Solian and Cartois though they are separated by mountains. Rea consists of 21 Duchies, and the Royal domain, the Grand Duchy of Reas. Located within a region known as the 'Grand Rean Basin', the nation is surrounded by natural defenses, with the Ober and Unter-Welschen Alps acting as the nations western boundaries, and the shores of Lake Rea as its eastern. In addition to this the northern border of the nation is guarded by a number of isolated hills and peaks, which form a protective barrier against Velius to the north.

Rea has experienced a strong historic friendship and brotherhood with its southern neighbor in Verinia. The Grand Duke of Verinia, Alexander Verinias, and the Kaiserin of Rea Emilia Von Rena are in fact distant cousins. Meanwhile, Rea has had a rocky and violent history with its northern neighbor Velius.

History
The region around Rea was first settled by the group now known as the Centran people some time around OT 550, arriving from the southern regions around Verinia. Rea was home to one major Athiian settlement in the city of Odessa, which still maintains some of its original Athiian structures.

Shattered era
The initial tribes who settled in Rea quickly began to form minor independent states concentrated around major waterways and mountain passages. Many of these states grew beyond the original borders of their home settlements, and eventually came to encompass many other communities. The most prominent of these early states were the Duchies of Rina, Kolm, Stedt-Felden, Cönenvas, and Münenberg.

During this period, which lasted from OT 110 to NT 137, several coalitions of regional power began to form in Rea, with makeshift alliances forming between the minor states. Dozens of war were waged between these states during which land and resources would be exchanged regularly, ultimately leading to a few major powers rising, namely the Arch-Duchies of Kolm, Rina, Münenberg, and Aelston-Odessa.

The Ambition of Leon Von Rena
In the year NT 120 an individual who would forever change the history of Rea was born to a noble family in his families resort in the Ober Welschen-Alps. Leon Von Rena, son of Duke Reinhardt Von Rena, was a weak and sickly child born during a storm -- an omen of a short, suffering life. Leon, being the Von Rena's only child, was greatly cherished by his parents who made every effort in their power to keep him alive and healthy. For the first sixteen years of his life, Leon was raised in relative seclusion in his family's villa in the Alps, where he was made to study the art of statecraft, diplomacy, and military strategy.

During his time in his families Villa he was exposed to numerous other noble families, as the Ober Welschen-Alps had become a thriving vacation site, and neutral zone for the various squabbling Rean nobles. It was a place where they could rather around to negotiate treaties, and discuss the affairs of their lives, as friends and equals, not as rival heads of state. It was during this period that Leon learned how to socialize with, and handle himself around other nobility, but more importantly it was here that Leon met Emilia Edelmann, the heiress to the Arch-Duchy of Cönenvas, one of Rea's other major powers.

While historically Rina and Cönenvas were fierce rivals, Leon and Emilia almost immeidately became close friends during their time together in the Alps, where the immediate conflicts of their families were separate. Unfortunately their short friendship, which had blossomed into first love, was cut short when their Duchies went to war on behalf of mutual allies, the Duchies of Kowell, and Kolm respectively. Though both Leon and Emilia protested, their parents did not allow them to meet, and Leon at the age of 16, was summoned home to lead his fathers armies against the nation of the woman he loved. It was during this long separation that the gears of Rean unification finally began to turn, and so was born the ambition of Leon von Rena.

North and South Confederations
The war between Kowell and Kolm ended as a stalemate in the year NT 138, but it granted Leon Von Rena significant military experience, which would help him in later years. In the year NT 141, when Leon was only 21, his father Reinhardt passed away, leaving him as the new Arch-Duke of Rina. The period of time between 140 and 150 NT was the start of a period which would later be known as the 'Confederal' period, which would see the makeshift alliances of Rea solidify into major power blocks. In NT 140 the Grand Duchy of Kolm established the 'Northern Rean Confederation', along with the duchies of Stedt-Felden, and Erlen, later expanding to include Aelston-Odessa, and Obayrn.

Only a few years into his reign as Arch-Duke, Leon began to put into motion his plan to unify Rea, by establishing his 'Southern Rean Confederation', by joining the Grand Duchy of Rina with the Duchies of Sohren, Kowell, Ponlach, and Pretza-Bruick. By this time it became apparent to the world that these Confederations were in reality the drawing of battle lines, and that Rea was soon to see the greatest war in its history to this point. For the next 10 years, until Leon was aged 35, a virtual cold war would begin between the Rinan led Southern Coalition, and the Kolmnite led Northern, as each faction desperately vied for support. Kolm would see the addition of Alteritz, Atsen-Strausse, and Siesbach, while Rina gained the vital support of Ahlum, Aschin, Kalin, and Münenberg. All the pieces began to fall into place and the war looked to have been prepared, but in the year NT 156 an event that would shock Rean society would take place.

The Grand Duchy of Cönenvas was arguably the most powerful duchy in Rea, and had chosen to stay neutral in the growing confederation's schemes, allowing it some degree of freedom in the decades prior, however by this point it became apparent that there could be no more neutrality. In the year prior the Arch-Duke Armin Edelmann had passed away, leaving his daughter Emilia to inherit. The same Emilia who had once fallen in love with the young Leon von Rena, and the very Emilia who even to this day still wrote to Leon regularly. If Cönenvas was to align with one of the Confederations, it would be Rina's, and it would be by simple alliance, but instead marriage. In NT 156 Leon and Emilia were married, and their Duchies joined as one in the Confederation. Even to this day, the Duchies of Rina and Cönenvas are considered to be sister Duchies thanks to this marriage, and the traditional ruler of Cönenvas is the spouse of the Kaiser(in) of modern Rea.

The Confederated Wars
With Cönenvas officially joining the Southern Coalition, it became clear that the war which had been brewing for decade had finally seen its arrival. The powder keg that Rea had become was bound to ignite, and on March 3rd, NT 158 it finally happened, when a force of soldiers from the Duchy of Siesbach launched a surprise attack on the Duchy of Sohren. Though this incursion was not sanctioned by the Northern Confederation, it saw the start of the Confederation wars, and Leon Von Rena ordered the deployment of forces from Kowell, and Reas to defend the Duchy of Sohren.

From there hell broke loose, and the Northern Confederation deployed its forces in sieges of the cities of Olunhausen, Kowell, and Cönenberg. For the initial years of the conflict, from NT 158 to NT 160 the two Confederations would exchange blows, but ultimately failing to make major gains in the war. Until the year 161 it seemed as if the war would remain in a permanent status quo, until the forces of Kolm engaged in a violent, and bloody siege of Cönenvas, ultimately tearing into the city walls, and decimating the city. Horrified by the atrocities committed by the Kolmnite forces, Leon von Rena, and his wife Emilia who had led to Rina during the siege decided that they must take drastic action to end the war permanently.

In NT 162 Leon von Rena began a campaign to end this war, and would leave a permanent mark on the nation which would be felt through out history. His plan was to cleave the Northern Confederation in two, by marching his armies across the countryside, and decimating all farmland and fortifications in the way. His campaign went perfectly until he reached the city of Aelston, part of the Aelston-Odessa Duchy. The city of Aelston was the largest in Rea, ahead of both Kolm and Rina respectively, and was one of the most famous cities outside of Rotharia at the time. When Leon's armies reached the city, they would be forced to enter into a siege, which would last nearly two years. While Kolm's forces had been devastated by the siege of Cönenvas, this would give them ample time to recover, something the Southern Confederation could not risk. Leon ordered that burning oil be launched into the city by catapults, and in due time the mostly wooden city of Aelston burned to the ground, totally destroying one of the largest cities in the world at the time, and killing an unknown number of civilians.

Leon's plan would ultimately succeed, and by cleaving the Confederation in two, his army would easily be capable of starving, and forcing the surrender of Siesbach, Alteritz, Atsen-Strausse, and Obayrn, but he did so at a high price. From this day forward the specter of the once glorious city of Aelston would now forever haunt the Von Rena family, and though shortly after Kolm itself surrendered in NT 164 when placed under siege by Leon's forces, and Rea found itself finally united and the modern Rean Kingdom was born, the north would never truly again trust their southern lords.

The 13 Month War
Leon Von Rena would die in NT 169 at the age of 49, and were it not for his charismatic wife Emilia the Kingdom almost certainly would have collapsed into civilwar. Through Emilia's stewardship as Kaiserin until her own death in NT 203 at 83, the Kingdom of Rea was held stable. It would take two hundred years, and the greatest crisis Rea ever faced before the Kingdom could truly consider itself united. This crisis came in the form of the now infamous '13 Month War' in NT 312.

During the Confederal War, the politics of Centra were seeing an immense polar shift, as the slowly uniting Rea would become the unquestioned superpower of the region, however that was never to be. The lands to the north of Rea were largely unsettled, thanks in part to the presence of an immense, strange, and dangerous formation known as the 'Black Forest of Velius'. While the Reans had considered this land unsuited for settlement, a far more hardy group of Centrans chose to do just that. Though for the first few hundred years of their existence, prior to the Confederal wars, they consisted of little more than a few minor tribes and city states, by the period of NT 150 their lands and people had begun to coalesce into a true state in the modern sense.

By NT 220 an individual know now only by the title "Saint Velan" had led a charismatic union of many of these city states, and established his own confederation of states. By his death in 225, the members of this confederation had been so awestruck by him and his leadership, that the confederation continued even after his death, and even began the process of centralization. Today historians agree that the process of centralization was not due to Saint Velan's charisma though, but instead was done as a necessity to counter the rising Rean state. The state which followed was named for Saint Velan, and so was born the "High Principality of Velius", and so too was born a cult around the newly born myth of Saint Velan.

In the NT 300s, Velius was considered a strange, and minor state in Centra, which the ascendant Reans typically ignored, and even had bullied around in past, claiming the Velian lands belong to Rea. This was a major miscalculation on the part of Rea, however, as the Velians had been preparing a military invasion of Rea for a long time. This invasion began suddenly, and without warning in NT February 312, when a Velian army of near 50,000 crossed the border into Stedt-Felden. The city fell within a week and the Rean Kingdom, caught by surprise, found itself in a desperate scramble to assemble its troops from across the Kingdom. By March, Rea had assembled a force of 45,000 strong enough to attack the Velian Force.

Despite their efforts, the Velian force proved all to powerful for the Reans, having leveraged the use of magic to a level unseen in an army prior to this period. The use of magic in mass-scale warfare had been limited up to this point, thanks in part to magic's lasting consequences. By July the Velian forces had pushed the front down past Kolm, which had fallen after a month long siege. The Reans looked to almost certainly face defeat, and in one last act of desperation pleaded with their allies in Verinia to the south. Verinia, fearing the possibility of the Velian force continuing its assault southward into their own lands, dedicated their entire army of 40,000 to assist the Reans. Combined with the 30,000 soldiers Rea had remaining, the 'Coalition of the Auntumn Garden' (Named for the location in the Verinian Palace the treaty of alliance was signed), came to face the Velian force in September 21st outside the city of Sarena in Sohren Duchy.

The Battle of Sarena would be the turning point in the war, where the 70,000 man combined force could overwhelm the remaining 40,000 Velians, who by this point had begun to suffer from the effect of mass mana exhaustion across most ranks. The Velians would lose 5,000 men before retreating north. The following months of the war, ultimately ending on January 3rd NT 313, saw countless victories for the coalition, as the Velian force retreated further and further north, eventually crossing into their borders, and fleeing through the Black Forest -- an area the coalition would never be confident enough to enter.

This saw the end of one of the most devastating wars in Centra History, now known as the "13 Month War", and would become one of the great unifying events in Centran history, as the Northern Reans witnessed thousands of Southern Soldiers die to protect them, and as a great alliance, and lasting bond between the nations of Rea and Verinia were formed. The scars of the past two centuries were major, however, and they still show in modern Rea, where the magnificent North has decayed, and with only Kolm and Cönenvas (Who aligned with the South) remaining in the top five cities in the nation, where before this period Rina was the only southern city to grace the list. And perhaps most importantly of all, the thousands of Rean, Verinian, and Velian soldiers who died from Mana Exhaustion during the conflict have reanimated and returned as Phage, birthing the start of the ongoing Rean Phage Crisis

Present Day
Today Rea is in a precarious position, where the former Kaiser Emil Von Rena perished only five years ago leaving his at the time 14 year old daughter to rule the nation. The 19 year old Kaiserine, Emilia von Rina (named for the historic wife of Leon Von Rena) has done an admirable job considering her situation, however historic animosity between north and south has begun to rise to the surface again, as the ailing Von Rena dynasty's history and reverence within Rea has slowly begun to fade into history.

Matters are only made worse by the growing division in the Rean Parliament, with the Kaiserine's faction of supporters shrinking after the defection of Stedt-Felden, Siesbach, and Elenberg Duchies to the Kolm lead 'Northern Conservatives' faction. In addition to this, the current Field Marshal for the national army, the Black Banner, Kaspar Messier, has recently defected to the Kolmnite faction as well. And perhaps worst of all, the regency years following Kaiser Emil's death saw the rise of a faction of radicals, and republicans who wish to see the monarchy done away with entirely.

With her last prominent ally in the Parliament being Loyalist Prime Minister Johannes Holtz, things in Rea have begun looking grim for Emilia Von Rena, and the Von Rena dynasty as a whole, and matters in Rea are hardly looking better, with the Phage Crisis remaining on going, and perhaps even worsening in the near future.

Geography
The climate of Rea is described as cool, wet, and comfortable for the majority of the year. The Centran region is often described as being in a state of 'Perpetual Autumn', as temperatures typically average in the 60s for much of the year, though can race for extreme highs and lows for short summer and winter seasons. Rea itself exists within a mountain basin known as the 'Great Centran Depression', formed as a massive region of hill and lowlands which slowly rise from the shores of Lake Rea in the east, to the foothills of the steep and jagged Ober and Unter-Welschen Alps.

Western Rea is primarily defined by towering, treeless mountain ranges, and the fertile valleys which lie between, an ideal place of pastures and resorts. The Rean Welschen-Alps are considered one of the most population vacation sites of Halasian nobility, and with good reason. Southern-Central Rea is uniquely defined by sparsely forested hills, and open river flood plains. This region is responsible for the bulk of the nations agricultural output. Eastern Rea is similarly open, though with scatter thickets, fens, and jagged rocky beaches along the coast of Lake Rea. Northern Rea is densely forested by old growth trees, and suffers from frequent hard winters, and in some regions experiences snow for nearly half the year.

Economy
Rea enjoys a well developed economy, with a specialization in agriculture, specifically with textiles, and food. In addition to this, the western and northern Duchies of Rea produce substantial amounts of iron, which is smelted and exported to its neighbors. The economy of Rea is distinct in each region of the nation.

In the south along the Centran plains, Agriculture is the primary source of export, with massive amounts of textiles and food, especially grain and barley, are exported to Verinia, Mira, Hera, and to Solisian Merchant Republics. The south of Rea is by far the most wealthy and prosperous region, reaping the benefits of its exports, and development around the capital of Rina. The east of the nation shares some amount of agriculture, though more focused on grain than textiles. The east of the nation also has seen the birth of a substantial fishing industry on Lake Rea, as well as ship building.

The Northern Duchies are the poorest, with the bulk of their economies coming from the mining, and sale of raw iron ore to be smelted in larger cities. Though there is some limited amounts of agriculture, mostly sufficiency focused, the bulk of the regions agriculture is done around Kolm and Cönenvas, the only truly wealthy city in the region. The northern Duchies are heavily supported by government subsidies focused around improving military infrastructure in the region -- a part of the general Rean paranoia of Velius, and fear of a repeat of the 13 month war.

Government
Rea is governed by a constitutional monarchy. The Kaiserin, Emilia von Rina holds substantial, but limited power over the nation. As Kaiserin, her powers include: Appointing the Field Marshal of the Black Banner, Choosing the Prime Minister from the Parliament, appointing the Dukes and Marquis of the Realm, and making Royal Decrees, though this power may be over ruled by a majority vote in the parliament. Her specific power to appoint the Dukes and Marquis of the Realm is theoretically her most powerful, as the Dukes of the realm, along with constituting 21 of the 254 seat parliament, in turn appoint the Counts of their Duchies (44), and Barons (100). Theoretically she should then have to ability to directly influence 165 of the 254 seats, allowing her faction a super majority.

The reality, however, is that this is not possible. Along with not being able to determine absolutely someones loyalty, the Dukes of the Realm are ensured a lifetime term, and thus far Emilia has only made one appointment, Duke Reiner Heim of Weiß Stedt, which was already a loyalist Duchy. Since her enthronement, Rea has seen Kaiserin Emilia's faction become a minority in the government, though presently no faction has been able to form a majority, leaving the parliament in a state of chaos. Presently laws only pass the parliament when they are so widely supported they pass across party lines, which is a rare occurrence. There has been a recent effort by Prime Minister Johannes Holtz to attempt to quell partisanship in the parliament in hopes of restoring some sense of stability, but thus far none of the warring factions have agreed.

The Loyalist camp is becoming increasingly concerned that the gridlock in parliament may backfire, and cause more Dukes to defect towards to Kolmnite Norther Conservatives faction, and have been desperately trying to save the parliament before that happens. Meanwhile, the remaining 89 seats of the Parliament which are elected and not appointed, plus a few which are, have defected to extreme new factions, such as the Liberals, who seek to undo the Feudalist system of appointed titles, and bring the nation under the direct control of the Kaiserine, though along with a fully elected parliament. The Liberals tend to side with the Southern Loyalists. But more frightening still, is the rise of a loose faction of unaffiliated Ministers whom have donned the title 'The Radicals'. The Radicals wish to see the title of Kaiser, and the Feudal grants abolished all in one fell sweep, and for a new revolutionary republic to but put in its place.

Military
The Rean Military consists of 21 individual 'Banners' commanded by each Duke or Marquis of the nation. These Banners primarily consist of local conscripts and a few professional officers or mages. The individual banners range in size from only 5,000 soldiers to as high as 23,000 from the Emerald Banner of the Grand Duchy of Reas. During wartime these individual banners are centralized under the "Black Banner" commanded by the Field Marshal of the Black Banner, currently Kaspar Messier. During wartime the Black Banner can grow to be as large as 250,000 conscripts, making it one of the largest armies in Halas.

During peacetime the individual banners are still expected to contribute 10% of their forces to the Black Banner, allowing it to reach sizes as high as 25,000 during peacetime making it the largest military force in the Kingdom. Within these banners the Dukes maintain a lot of autonomy in organizing them, but most will see a small officer corps appointed directly by the Duke, and contain a separate organizational structure for Mages employed by the Banner, who are typically seen as being of unique importance to the Rean Military.

Culture
Rea shares close cultural ties to its Centran brethren, such as Verinia, Velius, and even Alba though the latter's isolation has slowly seen it experience some degree of cultural drift. Rea is considered the single most urbanized nation outside of Rotharia, thanks in part to the ongoing Rean Phage Crisis. Virtually every settlement, from the largest cities, to even tiny villages of only a few dozen have walls of at least a makeshift variety.

Life outside the walls is quite dangerous thanks in part to the estimated hundreds of thousands of Phage wandering the countryside. Luckily Rean phage are typically among the most skittish, unless provoked or starving. Despite this, however, there are hundreds of deaths each year attributed to phage attacks, and further thousands of disappearances which are suspected to be related. Work outside of the walls, such as agriculture, must never be done alone, at night, and unarmed. Travel between settlements should never be done alone, and travelers should always be accompanied by at least three others, but ideally should travel with the regular armed caravans which have scheduled departure and arrival times in most settlements.

While life in and around the cities is the same as anywhere else (Thanks in part to regular military patrols keeping phage out of the region), life in Rea's many small towns or villages is entirely different. There exists a strong paranoia of travelers thanks in part to the heavy presence of Knight-Errant in the nation, along with rising crime rates in rural communities where bodies can be easily hidden outside the walls, and the population is usually confined in very dense communities. There also exists much superstition, and fear about what lies beyond the walls of the communities, with fears of old gods, and twisted abominations roaming the countryside, though such beliefs amount to little more than fables.

Religion
The official religion of Rea is Scionism, a faith loosely based on old Centran traditions and tales about the 'Scion', a hypothetical individual who lead the initial settlement of Centra. Scionism is an unorganized religion, with no official head, but instead local communities who have designated 'Scions' who preach, and encourage people to follow local traditions and ceremonies.

Unlike Heranism, or Velanism, Scionism is a religion which has no 'virtues', and views life and death as a natural cycle of death and rebirth, where no one dies, but instead their soul simply leaves to seek another vessel. Scionists view mana as being the direct soul of man, and while it does not condemn magic, Scionists do believe Phage to tragic corpses of those whose souls were destroyed by mana exhaustion, and are now cursed to roam the world for an eternity.

Rea has also recently seen the incursion of the Velian faith, with the Velian Order of the Knights-Errant having become an epidemic in the nation. The Knight-Errant are a military order from Velius who roam non-Velanist nations, and seek to forcibly convert local communities, and if that fails, exterminate them. Knight-Errants often disguise themselves as simple travelers or merchants, but upon arriving to small, mostly defenseless communities, they begin a reign of terror, forcing the locals to convert or die, often times being able to totally overpower the local, unprepared guards. While the military of Rea has been waging a campaign to eliminate the Knight-Errant presence in Rea, they have had limited success thanks primarily to the restrictive nature of travel in Rea meaning that word of a Knight-Errant will only ever reach the authorities by the time its too late.

Cities
Rina

Kolm

Cönenvas

Münenberg

Sohren

Alstag

Odessa

Sarena

Aelston

Stedt-Felden